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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — to wash
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — rain
  21. hand — help
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com